Understanding Defense Mechanisms: Psychological Strategies for Coping
Defense mechanisms are mental maneuvers used to distort the truth and protect oneself from painful emotions like shame, guilt, and anxiety. Lying, rationalization, regression, repression, denial, suppression, and projection are common defense mechanisms explored in this content.
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Defense Mechanisms Definition: A mental maneuver that one consciously or unconsciously chooses to use to distort or falsify the truth of one s experience in order to protect oneself from feeling painful emotions like shame, guilt, or anxiety.
LYING One doesn t tell the truth for either self-gain or to spare feeling ridicule, rejection, or punishment. Phrases like I swear I didn t do it, or It doesn t mean anything are often used when we know we haven t lived up to our higher selves. In what circumstances do you think people lie the most?
RATIONALIZATION Occurs when we tell an element of the truth, but deny the larger truth of the matter. For example, I could have won the race but the track was wet. The larger truth was that someone was faster. I got fired, but the boss was a jerk. Failures are a threat to the ego rationalization doesn t hurt as bad.
REGRESSION When adult defense mechanisms stop working for us, we regress to a personality we had at childhood. For example, when an adult doesn t take responsibility, he says, It s not my fault, it s her fault. Immature patterns of behavior emerge such as bragging.
REPRESSION The person forces the unacceptable or threatening feeling out of awareness to a point where he/she becomes unaware of it. Examples could be a simple reprimand or as serious as a rape. A person is asked, how do you get along with your mother and he responds, just fine as he turns pale. Negative feelings about the mother are so unacceptable that they block his awareness.
DENIAL The person doesn t acknowledge the validity of the matter but acknowledges its presence. They oppose force with force. For example, the alcoholic expresses, I may like to drink, but I m not an alcoholic. Or a smoker concludes that the evidence linking cigarette use to health problems is bogus.
SUPPRESSION The person is aware of the unacceptable desire and validates it but intentionally tries to keep it from expressing itself. For example, I know I m an alcoholic so I m going on the wagon. A homosexual who intentionally doesn t date members of the same sex so that the unacceptable does not express itself. An introvert is conditioned to be an extrovert. He often suppress anger.
PROJECTION The person attributes one s own perceived negative attributes onto someone else. For example, Bill blames the instructor for a bad grade when he didn t study. Sara says, You envy me, when Sara really envies the other person. Sam cheats on his spouse and blames the spouse for cheating.
Which Defense Mechanisms Do You Use the Most? Lying Rationalization Distraction Regression Repression Denial Suppression Projection
Remove Defense Mechanisms by Reading about them Writing about your feelings and actions Talking to a close friend or therapist Meditating Praying EFT
Name the Defense Mechanism Joe is mad at Sue as he grits his teeth. Sue asks, are you mad at me, and he replies, No, I m not mad at all as he puts a smile on his face.
Name the Defense Mechanism The person who doesn t study says, the F grade I got on the test was totally unfair.
Name the Defense Mechanism Karl, a tax accountant teacher instructs his students to follow the rules of tax law but later Karl cheats on his taxes.
Name the Defense Mechanism Bill Gates tells you your reply is illogical and you reply, you re the illogical one! I m smarter than you anyway.
Name the Defense Mechanism Cheating on my taxes is no big deal. Everybody does it
